I am humbled and blessed every day to serve our Jesus Family as the lead pastor and chief artisan of Watersprings Church in Idaho Falls during this wonderful season of ministry. Serving as the teaching pastor of Watersprings Church, over-seer of Apply the Word Radio, TV Ministries, I also serve as the superintendent of Watersprings Schools, president of TheREV radio network, and an executive producer for Watersprings Media and Watersprings Music. Serving as one of the worship musicians and leaders of the church has always been part of my calling and gifting and I continue to assist our worship community when I can.

Born in Newport Beach, California and spent my early years in Santa Ana and Brea, when circumstances beyond my control, at the time, moved my family to Idaho where I have lived most of my life. Funny thing about Idaho, the locals still think I’m an outsider, even though it has been over 43 years now.

I grew up in a home where my family usually only went to church on special occasions, Christmas, Easter, weddings or the occasional funeral. This was my only contact with the church as a young child. After moving to Idaho we as a family started attending a small Pentecostal church until the Pastor and the secretary ran away together with the church’s money. Needless to say, those events ended our church attendance, and eventually ending my parents’ marriage as well. 

In high school, I was a typical teenager in the ’80s, cars, music, friends, music, drugs and alcohol, and all the stupid things that come with them. In my freshman year of high school, I found myself involved in music and theater, which led me to attend college, pursuing a degree in music education. While in college in the late ’80s, several of my professors repeatedly shared Christ with me as they chose to live out their faith in the real world. After months of their unconditional love and witness for Christ, I found myself having lunch with John, the director of Campus Crusade for Christ. Once I exhausted my rousing and brilliant arguments of why I did not need God, he kindly and simply shared with me the 4 Spiritual Laws. At that moment I bowed my knee to Jesus Christ when I realized I was a sinner in need of a Savior because my sins had separated me from my Creator, God.  It was later the very same day that I met My beautiful wife, Laurie, who lived in Chicago, Illinois at the time. (A long story for another day.)

One semester later God’s calling became clear and I left my college and music career and began to serve at a small country church on the edge of town, named Calvary Chapel, where I entered into decades of informal education in doing ministry each day in meeting the needs of God’s people. I started in ministry by cleaning bathrooms, sweeping the parking lot, and serving whenever and wherever possible. In the early ’90s, I began serving in ministry full-time, becoming the youth pastor of the church, then the assistant pastor, and eventually an interim senior pastor of that fellowship. After helping transition the church body to new leadership, Laurie and I began to seek where the Lord would have us go to serve Him. In 2008, the Lord graciously led us to Salmon, Idaho, a small church community in the central Idaho mountains where I served as the senior pastor and worship leader for almost a decade until responding to God’s call to Watersprings Church just two years ago. 

Laurie, my wife is a professional harpist and has her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and is teaching sixth grade in our neighborhood school. All of our kids are artists in their own ways. Our daughter (adopted) Jaycelin is an SLP and lives in Minnesota with her husband Chris. Joshua is a Pre-Pharmacy student at Idaho State University. Caleb and Benjamin are still living at home. Caleb is starting his senior year and is a nationally recognized photographer and cinematographer. He is a fruitful part of our media department at Watersprings and a founding member of Watersprings Media. Benjamin our youngest, who starting his sophomore year, is a musician like mom and dad and is in his own right a budding composer and songwriter. He serves as part of our worship community with the adults and youth.  

Every new day until the return of Christ is a gift from Heaven and I get up looking forward to the adventure that is a life in service to Christ. I’m often humbled and desperate for more of Jesus in this service of Him as a servant leader and artisan. I love to teach God’s Word in a lively and dynamic way, seeking to be approachable, and humorous desiring to put everyone at ease as I drive home the simple, yet powerful, teaching of God’s Word. My motivating force is my unquenchable passion to know God, understand His Word, and love God’s people. As a musician I live out a lifestyle of worship in my personal devotions and through the writing and production of new music for the Body of Christ.